I generally encourage my clients to welcome media opportunities, even when reporters want to discuss negative issues. But Hillary Clinton is a great example of when it’s best to stay out of the headlines.

Why?

She understands something her rival Donald Trump doesn’t. That’s the fact that media will only be able to cover a limited number of issues at a time and people will only remember a few. So with Donald Trump basically hammering another nail into his presidential campaign coffin by the day, Clinton’s better to let him hog the headlines. It also limits the chances of her making a gaffe that could lose her votes.

Obviously she is still campaigning, but she is focusing more on niche media and letting others do much of the hard work for her on the national stage. For example, Michelle Obama’s recent “enough is enough” speech that strongly attacked Donald Trump’s treatment of women.

The only risk with this is that her policy messages don’t hit their mark as consistently as she would like. But on the other hand, every time Trump talks about a rigged election or a conspiracy against him, he moves further and further away from the core messages around security that got him the republican nomination.

Trump

Trump seems to have lost all reality. He blames everyone apart from himself for his current predicament. Perhaps if he hadn’t talked so candidly to a radio reporter in that van back in 2005, this may not be happening.

If I was him, I’d now be concerned about his personal brand and how it will affect his earning potential after the election.

Pete is a leading New Zealand media trainer and regular blogger for his company, Media Training NZ . He has helped leaders from all sectors of society communicate with the media and other stakeholders. Pete is a former daily newspaper reporter and press secretary in the New Zealand government. From these roles, he understands the media process from both sides of the camera.